Great beginnings bring success.

Back in my formal entertaining days, I was reading a cookbook and the author recom-mended having a really special starter. She said it made a great beginning for the entire evening. That is how I felt after our fun, well attended, January meeting. Ellen, thanks for giving generously of your time and talents, so all could create their own Shitake Mush-room Log. It truly made for a great beginning to what will be a year filled with success and pride. Now it is time to showcase to the public all we do as Master Gardeners to enhance the

beauty and quality of life in this beautiful corner of Texas. Saturday, March 11 will be our educational Spring Conference, so start inviting your neighbors, friends, churches and clubs. It should be an easy sell: free admission and refreshments, great door prizes and entertaining informative programs. Then get out your MSG aprons or tee-shirts, volunteer to help, bring your cookies and extend a warm southern welcome to all. Be sure and read the other articles in our newsletter concerning our conference. Maybe even print the flyer out to share with all. Thank you, Clint, for our great speaker, Keith Hansen and for securing the Carrol Green Civic Center. Thanks to all who I have asked to help and their reply was, "Sure, I would love to do that!” I hope you know how special you are.

E D I T O R : S Y L V I A J O H N S O N

“MG Wood Works”

2017

ISSUE: #2 March

Note from the President: Reggie Askins

(continued page 6)

We've just had a wonderful meeting in February with Mary Smith, President of Wood

County Beekeepers Association. She told us about the very interesting lives of bees.

March 16: Now let me tell you about our next meeting, which will be at Scarbrough

Haven in Emory. We are looking forward to this field trip to an 800 acre ranch that has

lakes, pastures and woods. Plus, they have a gorgeous vintage style greenhouse with very

unique architecture and plants. We hope to see lots of azalea, dogwood, and spring

blooms on this tour, so bring your cameras. We will meet at 10:00 a.m. at Scarbrough

Haven, address is 2769 Rains County Farm Road 3160, Emory, TX. Just a note about

getting there, we are carpooling/caravanning from the Quitman Extension office at 9:15 if

you want to meet up,

Index

Meeting Schedule 2

Spring Conference POSTER 3

Spring Conference FLYER 4

VP-Schedule Continued 6

Blooms in the “Dead” of Winter 7

AgriLife Agent Article-Drip Irrigation for Veggies 8

Wildscape @ Mineola Nature Preserve 9

2017 Farmer’s Market Booth 10

Quitman Arboretum & Botanical Garden 11

“Getting to Know You” 12

Garden PUZZLE 14

Did You Know? — Facts About Tulips 14

2017 Officers How to be Online with WCMG

15

one pictures in this article are ClipArt

Schedule Note from the Vice President: Melodee Eishen

®

Be sure to save the Date! By Sylvia Johnson & Gloria Jeane Rosewall

Wood County Master Gardeners Spring 2017 Conference

Save the Date: Saturday, March 11.

Registration will be from 7:30-8:30 A.M., at the Carroll Green Civic Center, 602 McAllister St. Quitman, Texas. (Located next to Gov-ernor Hogg Park and the Stinson House). Follow the “Garden Conf.” and “Conf.” signs posted on Hwy 37 in Quitman, they will lead you to the Center.

&

Everyone is encouraged to copy the POSTER and/or the FLYER and hand out as many as you can. (We will also have hard copies at the Wood County AgriLife office during Training Days until the event.) Please copy a few for delivery to all your friends, family, store fronts, and to hand out to strangers! Other TMGA members are also asked to help us spread the word and, of course, are encouraged to come out and join us at this great conference. This Conference qualifies for all Master Gardeners and Trainees to get volunteer hours and/or CEUs. We are very excited to have Ken Hansen of East Texas Gardening as our main speaker. Anyone gardening in East Texas has come to rely on Ken for his great articles, information, and consults. We encourage you to come on out and get first had information and advise from one of the State’s great Native Plant gardeners. Just have a look at some of his great achievements and awards: Education: B.S. in Horticulture, Texas A&M University ‑ 1980 M.S. in Horticulture, Texas A&M – 1982 Graduate studies, University of California, Davis – Plant Physiology - 1982-86 Employment: Current: Owns East Texas Gardening 1992 – 2015 (retired). County Extension Horticulture Agent with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service - Smith County. 1986 - 92. County Extension Horticulture Agent with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service - Nueces County (Corpus Christi area). Publications:

Weekly columns in Tyler Morning Telegraph & Corpus Christi Caller-Times

East Texas Gardening web site - http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu

East Texas Gardening Blog – http://agrilife.org/etg Articles for Neil Sperry’s Gardens Magazine Awards & Honors 2016 – Texas AgriLife Extension Service Horticulture Agent - Emeritus 2012 – 1st Place Communications Award, Web Site - Texas County Agricultural Agents Assoc. (TCAAA)

Garden

Conf.

Conf.

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Highlights of his Extension career include:

Master Gardener volunteer program coordinator East Texas Gardening web site (http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu) Annual East Texas Spring Landscape & Garden Conference Annual Fall Garden Conference & Plant Sale Annual East Texas Turfgrass Conference Annual East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference Environmental programs (eg: Water-Wise Landscaping, Earth-Kind Landscaping, Integrated Pest Management,

Don’t Bag It Lawn Care) IDEA Garden, Heritage Rose Garden, Shade Trial, Sunshine Garden - home demonstration gardens in the Tyler

Rose Garden

Not a Master Gardener? Want to bring a friend who is not? Don’t worry! This Spring Conference is designed for the public at large. Are you a well trained gardener? Don’t’ worry! I am sure that you will also learn something new and exciting from our speakers. This Spring Conference is for everyone, except maybe small children.

Attention WCMG: Set-up will be Friday, March 10 at 2 P.M. Volunteers are asked to please come out and help set up tables and chairs, post signs, and make ready for the early start on Saturday.

Volunteers are also needed on Saturday beginning at 7 A.M. thus insuring there is plenty of time to accomplish last minute details for the 7:30 A.M. opening. We are also depending on WCMGs to fur-nish the complimentary refreshments. So get out those recipes and bring those great FINGER FOODS that do not require plates or implements. Beverages will be furnished by the Conf. commit-tee. As Reggie stated in her article, all WCMG volunteers are requested to wear their: WCMG Tee-shirt, apron, name tag, and comfy shoes to the Conference on Saturday!

VP Meeting Schedule Cont.

(if you want to meet up,) otherwise make your own arrangements and we will see you there. One more thing on directions, go all the way to the end of CR 3160, the property is at the end of this road. Their website also has directions on the Contact page: www.scarbroughhaven.com . We are all looking forward to a memorable day at Scarbrough Haven. If you would like to join us, please, let me (Melodee) know. The reason I'd like to know is, we are bringing a wonderful lunch and eating at Scarbrough in their lovely events center, after we have our tour and short business meeting. (please see page 15 for contact info. sj) Just a note about a few of the presentations coming up:

April 20: Tracie Justice will be showing us how to "Make Soap Using Your Herbs" and

May 18: Nancy Falster will be demonstrating "Fermenting Your Vegetables For More Nutrition". We would love to see you!

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Blooms in the Dead of Winter by Lin Grado

When attempting four seasons of blooms in East Texas gardens, winter can be a challenge. Annuals like pansies and snapdragons can provide winter color, but a very cold spell like the one we had in January can really be a set-back for these plants. It’s also a lot of work to plant seasonal color in your beds, replacing the plants several times a year. There IS a way to have winter color that returns every year, and it’s easier than you may think! Bulbs like daffodils (narcissus) are easy-care plants that form the base of winter garden blooms. Paperwhites start flowering in December, and daffodils continue to bloom from January through March. Some of my favorites are the heirloom bulbs like ‘Seventeen Sisters’ (with a bouquet of blooms on each stalk) found at old home sites, and the tiny

but fragrant yellow jonquils and Lent lilies found along many Wood County roadsides. Daffodil buds easily recover from temperatures down to the mid-twenties, but suffer when we have a really cold spell in the teens; later-blooming varieties will be unaffected. Pest-free, daffodils need full sun while they’re growing, and not much else. The only trick to daffodils is to let the foliage die back naturally – don’t trim, tie, or braid – so the bulbs can regenerate for next year’s blooms. Make a note to buy and plant these bulbs next fall. In mild winters, tender perennials like Gerber daisies will continue to bloom, but even in the

coldest of winters, the Lenten roses (Hellebores) bloom in shades of green, white, mauve, and even black. Use these ev-ergreen perennials in your shade garden, as summer sun can burn the leaves. You might find seedlings coming up around the plants, which can form almost a ground cover under your trees. January and February are the months that the Japanese camellia steals the show. These ca-mellias have large, glossy, deep green leaves that provide a backdrop to the full blooms, in colors from white to pink to red (even the bloom of the ‘Purple Dawn’ variety is rose-red with lavender overtones). My gardening friends in the DFW area are frustrated in their at-tempts to grow camellias, which are basically effortless here. Grow in partial shade and mulch over the roots, then stand back and let this ‘rose of winter’ grow – varieties can reach 6’-15’ in height. Provide supplemental water till established. One of my favorite shrubs that blooms in winter is winter honeysuckle, a semi-evergreen shrub with blue-green leaves than will grow in sun to part shade. One of the common names for this shrub is ‘sweet breath of spring’ - the small creamy-white flowers that line its branches have an amazing lemony fragrance. In my yard it blooms from late November until March, and provides winter forage for honeybees. Grow near a deck or walkway to take full advantage of the fragrance. Leather-leaf mahonia is a deer-resistant shrub that grows in full shade. Each winter it bears large clusters of sweet

smelling yellow flowers loved by bees, followed by gray-blue berries that give it one of its common names, Oregon grape. The coarse-textured leaves are prickly – it’s not one you want to brush against - so grow away from a path. Another ‘prickly’ shrub is flowering quince (locally called ‘Japonica’) - the first of the ‘spring’ shrubs to bloom in East Texas – in fact it’s in bloom now. You’ll see its flowers of scarlet, coral, or white on shrubs that can easily grow to 6’ in height and width. Grow it in full sun to part shade; its thorny branches suggest a location back from a path. Once its blooms are finished it will fade into the landscape till next year, when its pop of color will remind you why you grow it.

Finally, the last shrub I wanted to mention is Florida sunshine anise shrub. We feature this evergreen in two gardens at the Quitman Arboretum, and you may remember it from the photo in last month’s article. This shade-loving shrub has chartreuse foliage in the summer, but turns golden in the winter, like a beacon, that certainly provides winter color. Add some of these plants to your garden this spring, and you’ll have color to lift your spirits next winter.

“Daffodils grow under deciduous trees at Mrs. Lee’s Gardens in Gladewater ”

“Jonquils brighten East Texas roadsides.”

“Japanese camellias are the rose of winter in east Texas gardens.”

“Bees love the blooms of leath-erleaf mahonia”

County Extension Agent-Ag/NR: Clint Perkins

Drip Irrigation for the Vegetable Garden: Clint Perkins

Before we know it, spring will be here and many of you are already thinking about

your spring vegetable gardens. Now is the time to plan on a way to supplement the rainfall

we depend on.

The best technique to water vegetable gardens is

drip irrigation. Drip is controlled, slow application of water

to soil. The water flows under low pressure through plastic

pipe or hose laid along each row of plants.

The basic concepts behind the successful use of drip

irrigation are that soil moisture remains relatively constant,

and air, as essential as water is to the plant root system, is

always available. Other watering methods such as flood or sprinkler create a wide fluctua-

tion in the soil water content, temperature and aeration of the soil. The greatest thing about

drip irrigation is that it only requires about half as much water as furrow or sprinkler irriga-

tion because the water is applied drip by drip to the plant roots.

The financial investment in a drip irrigation system is reasonably small if you spend a

few hours to plan, assemble and install the system. Savings in water and increased yield

and quality can more than pay for the costs of parts to install and maintain a drip system.

A typical house faucet puts out 3 to 5 gallons per minute and limits the area that

can adequately be irrigated using a drip system to not more than 1500 to 2000 sq.

ft. One word of caution is to locate the area to be irrigated as close to the faucet as

possible. It is difficult to get enough volume to run the drip system properly.

Take time to give this idea some thought and visit some gar-

den centers that handle drip irrigation equipment and check it out.

With drip irrigation you will most likely have the best vegetable gar-

den you have ever had.

Happy Gardening

Interested in becoming a Master Gar-dener and contributing to your coun-ty? If so, call the Wood County AgriLife Extension office for more information and to join.

Wood County TX AgriLife Extension Service 618 South Main Street Quitman, TX 75783-0968 Phone: 903-763-2924

Clip-art

Clip-art

Clip-art

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Wildscape by: Linda Timmons at Mineola Nature Preserve

A History of the Sensory Garden and Wildscape at the Mineola Nature preserve. Planning started for the two Sensory Garden beds at the pavilion in January of 2006. The Friends of the Nature Preserve asked the Wood County Master Gar-deners to design, install and maintain the two 10 foot square beds between the pavilion and the restrooms. The Nature Preserve landscaper, Mark Spence, main-tained final approval of the master gardener plans. The master gardeners decided they wanted beds that would give interest year around, be easily maintained, low water requirements, and appeal to more than

just the sense of sight. We wanted plants that had scent and sound and would be fun to touch. We also wanted plants that might attract butterflies and birds. Since the beds were handicap accessible the garden plan needed to have plants close enough and high enough that a person in a wheel chair could touch and smell the plants. The design chosen used beds with flagstone paths on the pavilion side and raised beds on the back sides. The plants chosen that are still growing in the beds were Rusty Black Haw Viburnum, miscanthus and gulf muhly grasses, Autumn Sage, Rosemary, Mexican Mint Marigold, daffodils and oregano.

The next section the Master Gardeners were asked to tackle was a Wildscape area. To be certified a Texas Wildscape requires: 1. At least 50% native plants. 2. Food for the wildlife year round. A feeder alone will not be considered, but if at any time there is not food

available for the wildlife from plants, a feeder would then be required. 3. Shelter for the wildlife. This might include various plant features, should include plants in each of the tall

trees, understory, shrubs, bushes and wildflowers; may include nest boxes, brush piles, rock piles, toad houses and other shelter projects.

4. Water in a useable, reliable form for the wildlife. A list of plants native to the Post Oak Savannah and Wood County was developed using many sources. Of the 247 plants on the list 67 were chosen as plants we wanted to use in the Wildscape. The next steps were: Determine the area to be planted Design a layout Determine water source Do groundwork – till, grade, glyphosate, solarize, compost and mulch Plant. Planning the gardens, laying out the paths and clearing out the beds took about one year.

Before planting

Grass area and rock area after planting.

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Have you considered giving to Wood County Master Gardeners? We are a 501-c-3 non-profit organization that will joyfully receive your gift and provide a receipt for you tax records. Let your tax donations stay in Wood County and make a difference here to our local residents. If you would like to donate to the WCMGA please contact our Treasur-er: Tracey Snow Murphy

Farmers Markets by Judi Luce

Did You Know This? WCMG is a Tax Exempt 501c3

clipart

Installation of plants started in May of 2008. The first plant purchased was supposed to be a native Cedar Elm. As it matured it has turned out to be a Lace Bark Elm. This is an example of how hard it can be to identify plants. The other plants on the invoice were a Mexican Buckeye, a native Sassafras, Acanthus 'Red Flame', Hibiscus 'Texas Star' and the native Coral Honeysuckle vine. Plants chosen for the butterfly garden were Sal-via 'Mystic Spires Blue', Achillea millefolium 'Royal Tapestry' (yarrow), Verbena tenuisecta (Moss Verbena), and Pink Evening Primrose. Most of these first plants have thrived and are still represented in the Wildscape. Many thanks must go to all the wonderful workers who planned and worked over the last 10 years to make the dream of a Wildscape at the Mineola Nature preserve come true.

Spring is in the air and that means the Farmers Markets (FM) will soon be opening with all the wonderful produce, plants, home made breads and crafts. The FM committee met on Feb. 16th and have scheduled the days for our WCMC booth for Mineola and Winnsboro. We will start in Winnsboro on April 22nd, which is Earth Day celebration for the market and then will return on May 20th .

May 6th is the opening day for the Mineola FM and we will be there with our MG booth to help to help kick start that market off. The last day scheduled is in Mineola for June 3rd to conclude the WCMC Farmers Mar-ket booths for this year. The committee is planning to offer herbs, vegetable, and plants. The WCMG Tip Book and other brochures and garden tools will also be offered for sale. The goal of the WCMG Farmers Market volunteers is to help educate the public and to bring awareness about the Master Gardner's Association.

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QUITMAN ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDENS

By: Jan Whitlock

Spring has sprung, though the thermometer outside my window

seems confused by the cold mornings and warm afternoons. The gar-dens at the Arboretum are awakening once again. Tulips that were planted a few years back are re-emerging. “Will they bloom?” – it’s anyone’s guess. (Yeah, they did!)

Faithful daffodils and snow drops are prolific, new growth can be seen at the base

of many of the hardy perennials, and fruit trees are budded out. What a beautiful time of the year to walk through the gardens and experience the change in the season.

Congratulations to the Friends of the Arboretum. As the recipients of this year’s Quitman Chamber of Commerce award for Community Service, we are proud of Pam Riley and her continued efforts to develop and

improve this fine addition to the City of Quitman and Wood County.

The second annual Valentine Dinner was a “sold out” success. The rooms at the historic Stinson House were full of candlelight and guests. A piano serenade was provided by Glenda Schill on our recently acquired concert grand piano, previously owned by Troy and Debbie Robinson. Plans are now underway for a Mother’s

Day Brunch. Details will follow on our website as we approach the date for this event.

Lin Grado is continuing with her monthly seminars. These classes are free to the public and will continue to cover a range of subjects from pruning roses to haybale gardening. Our carpenters continue their work on the storage barn. The metal roof has been added and siding will soon follow.

The annual Spring Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 8th. As with all our fundraisers, the money

from these events help with the upkeep and maintenance of the gardens and the house. Thank you in advance for your support and help with this and all our other projects. We couldn’t continue to grow and flourish with-out you.

I would like all the volunteers to know how much their help is appreciated. Twenty- three acres and an old

house require a lot of “TLC”. It sometimes seems like an overwhelming task. Then a few hardy souls show up with their gloves and clippers and what seemed like an overwhelming amount of work turns into an enjoyable session with friends. Let me say “Thank You”, once again.

Photos in this article by Lin Grado

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My name is Teresa Runion. I am a wife of 40 years, mother of 4, and grandmother of 12. I grew up in Garland. My first 2 years of college were at Howard Payne. I then finished up at East Texas State University with a degree in Elementary Education. I also have a Masters’ degree in Science curriculum and instruction. I have been a teacher most of my life; Bible School, camp, day care. In May of 2016, I retired from public school teaching after 32 years. During that time, I taught 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th grade science and elemen-tary music. Currently, I am working as secretary at Emory Baptist Church. Since I only work 20 hours a week, that gives me a little time to explore other activities. I enjoy sewing, ma-chine embroidery, quilting, and camping. I am adding gardening to my list of projects!

This year, I hope to begin a compost pile , acquire some woodchips that can begin to age, and complete a pro-ject in the Emory City Park. Next year, I want to plant MY garden! After completing this course, I would like to get more involved with Junior Master Gardeners.

My name is Lannette Beaver and I live in Rains county. I have three children and my first grandbaby is due to arrive in May. I have a Bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Business, and a Master's degree in Vocation Office Education from East Texas State University. I love gardening, swimming, and playing golf. I also enjoy teaching a ladies Sunday school class and playing the piano at Emory Baptist Church. My parents grew up in East Texas and I get my love of gardening from both sides of the family. I have wonderful memories shelling peas, shucking corn, picking strawber-ries, and eating meals at my grandparents. My mom is an avid gardener and learned

much from the local county extension agent. I have always admired her knowledge and ability to grow any-thing. So once my husband and I moved to Emory, I was ready to put in a garden. With the help and advise of my grandfather some 33 years ago, I planted my first garden. I am thrilled to continue the tradition of learning from county extension agents and hope to pass on this love of gardening to the next two generations!

Phil Young I was born in Greenville, TX and grew up in Quinlan, TX. I graduated from Quinlan Ford High School in 1976. I graduated from Texas A&M University – Commerce with a BBA in Finance in 1980. I worked my way through college working at Colonial Bank of Greenville from 1976-1981. In 1981 I started work at E-Systems/Raytheon/L-3 Commu-nications in Greenville as a financial analyst. I worked there 33 years retiring as a finan-cial manager in 2014. During my working years I lived in Greenville and after retirement I purchased a lake house on Lake Winnsboro where I currently live. I was married once and am currently single with no children. I have one sister who lives in Quinlan, and both my

parents are still living in Greenville. In addition to my interest in gardening and landscaping, I enjoy golf, boating, fishing, live music, NASCAR, Texas Longhorns Football, and motorcycling. I regularly attend concerts of old classic rock and country bands. I also enjoy road trips with friends on my Harley Davidson motorcycle and have been to 32 states so far on my Harley. I have season tickets to Texas Motor Speedway and attend NASCAR races twice a year where I am a Kyle Busch fan.

Getting to Know You – 2017 Trainees

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Wanda Mischefsky After working and living in Houston, Texas for 30 years my husband and I retired in 2015 and relocated to Lake Fork. That was, of course, because my husband loves to fish. All of a sudden I had time for the hobbies and activities in which I had always wanted to become involved. I had always loved the idea of gardening. I did plant a few tomatoes and peppers. They were pretty much on their own to survive. Here we have approximately three acres that was a blank slate to create a landscape and garden. After attending the Master Gardener Spring Fling in 2016, I was so inspired I created flowerbeds around my house. I also learned about the Wood County Master Gar-

dener program. What an exceptional opportunity to learn. I will be more knowledgeable in my future projects. My gardening interests are centered on landscaping with native plants. I enjoy gardening but we also love to travel. My next project is to create a vegetable garden. I love to cook and want to enjoy the fresh vegetables I can grow here in East Texas. I created an herb garden that I was very proud of last spring and hope to have that again this year.

Kenneth Ed Gillis I grew up in southwest Louisiana, where my father’s family had resided for the past 200 years, near the community of Starks. I graduated from Starks High School in 1970 and went to college in Texas and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agri-Buisness from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas in 1974. Due to the job environment when I got out of college, I wound up working in the oil and gas industry as a Landman. I spent 20 plus years as a corporate employee and for the past 20 years I continued to work in the industry as an independent consultant. Primarily I

provided exploration companies with the information and services necessary for their drilling of oil and gas wells. I am currently still working in the industry but consider myself semi-retired. I have two (2) boys that are my most important achievements and the primary motivations of my life. My old-est son is a teacher and my youngest son is a fireman. I presently reside in the Golden community of Wood County and have been connected to the area since my childhood due to it having been the original home of my mother and her family.

Heather Fisher I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. During my career I worked as a speech-language pathologist. My husband and I have lived and worked in many different areas of the United States, most recently in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have 2 sons and 2 grandchildren ( a third one due in May). In 2015 we retired and moved to Holly Lake Ranch. Texas is a new state for us! I decided to enroll in the Master Gardener program after my husband and some friends

completed it. I have always enjoyed working with plants and watching them grow. I wanted to learn for my-self what plants do well in this area. So far, this class has taught me so much more. The Master Gardeners who run the class are so knowledgeable and provide us with so much extra information and references. I've learned a lot as well from the volunteer work and am looking forward to future participation with this organi-zation while developing and growing my own gardens. Welcome to all the above Trainees. Thank you for introducing yourselves to us. As the famous song goes, we are looking forward to

“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me (us).” sj

Getting to Know You– 2017 Trainees

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PUZZLE By: Ellen Atkins

We hope you all enjoy the puzzles. There will be a new one each issue. Need the answers? Come to the next meeting!

C V J V A H L A C L C C W U F O W

V O S Q Z R T V R R E L M N S N N

K U N P P D V Y O A T W E U H K E

Z V X O E J M S A C D T O A L B D

D E L O V A N P A M A I U R N P O

B U K Z V I P B K N K P S P T J T

J R U D K L B L A Z B V R H Y B A

V W O R E A F R L F O C L I N T M

A O E C G E G W E L E C L P P N E

C P A E C E R D W S M E I T J W N

U L D R M O G S T L V N T W K U I

U N A O W R L C D O R W N O H B C

M H P A P U I I H U S C X I U A H

Q J I D G E M S T O Z E X P S I O

P X R E W O L F I L U A C N O J T

N O I T A C I F I T R E C D V E I

A K U O T A M O T W Y R R E H C T

perkins clint vacuum deer tomato radish certification trowel shovel plum pomegranate cherry apple slug vole nematode broccoli cauliflower kale cabbage turnip

Did you Know? By Sylvia

Tulips started to become highly prized in Holland in the 1600s as some of Clusius’ unique tulip variations became much sought after. This led to a period from 1634 to 1637 known as "Tulip mania" when enthusiasm for the new flower started an economic frenzy and one of the world's first 'speculative bubbles'. The value of tulips shot up nearly overnight, they became the most expensive flower in the world, so expensive that they were treated as a form of currency. At one point during the height of Europe’s tulip mania, a single Viceroy tulip bulb was purchased for two lasts of wheat, four lasts of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, 12 fat sheep, two hogsheads of wine, four casks of beer, two tons of butter, a complete bed, a suit of clothes and a silver drinking cup! In the winter of 1636-37, a valuable tulip bulb could change hands ten times in a day. Try pesticide-free tulip petals on your salad or deserts. In the Dutch famine of 1944 (due to German-occupation during WWII), people often resorted to eating sugar beets and tulips. Use tulips in place of onions or to even make wine! Today, the Netherlands is still the world's main producer of commercially sold tulips, producing as many as 3 billion bulbs annually, mostly for export.

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—“MG Wood Works” Newsletter: You are all invited to submit your thoughts and learnings both new and old to this newsletter. You are permitted to count time writing articles as volunteer hours. If you have ques-tions please contact the editor: Sylvia Johnson mgnewsletter@hotmail.com.

—Website at http://txmg.org/woodcounty for up-to-the-minute news and scheduled events, back issues of the newsletter and seasonal videos. Any new content for the web-site can be sent to Keith Zimmerman.

—Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Wood-County-Master-Gardeners-Inc-205733709448425/?fref=ts

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1534107646899295/

—CEU—ON LINE: http://txmg.org -look to side of page, click on Training, click on Training Op-portunities, click Earth-Kind Training for Master Gardeners, almost to bottom of page you will find Directions. There are 12 subjects, click on arrow in front of subject for video then click on survey or test. You are not graded on the test.

—Sunshine: Know of a member who needs a warm thought or sympathy? Contact Laurie Fisher

—Volunteer Hours: http://texas.volunteersystem.org Just click on the link and you will see where to enter your password. Before logging in, right click on the page and save to favorites or bookmark or Create Shortcut to you desktop. Thanks for entering your hours. If you need help contact Peggy Rogers.

—Newsletter: Unless otherwise annotated, all photos in this publication were taken by the author of the article in which they appear.

You can find all E-mail address and/or contact information on the Membership Roster sent to you by E-mail or on the Member Roster on the Volunteer Hours Website site above. -SJ Editor-

Wood County Master Gardeners Association Officers for 2017

Online with WCMG

President – Reggie Askins Vice-President – Melodee Eishen

Secretary – Jan Whitlock Treasurer – Tracey Snow Murphy

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